166 OFWs positive with HIV within 7 months — DoLE

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz yesterday said the number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were found to be positive with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have reached 166 in just seven months, from January to July this year, up by 73 percent compared to the 96 diagnosed over the same period in 2010.

The Labor chief has directed the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) to intensify its efforts in reaching and informing workers on the dangers of risky behaviors at the workplace that may lead to HIV/AIDS infection.

Baldoz urged all private and government sectors to set up a comprehensive HIV/AIDS policy and program that will deal with prevention and elimination of discrimination of persons with HIV/AIDS.

Citing the National HIV and AIDS Registry statistics, party-list Rep. Arnel Ty said the fresh cases brought to 1,688 the cumulative number of OFWs known infected with the highly contagious virus that destroys the immune system.

The DoLE reported that medical clinics accredited by Middle Eastern countries to conduct medical tests reported an increase in the number of Filipino migrant workers bound for the region who tested positive for the human immunodeficiency virus..

“OFWs are exceptionally at high risk of acquiring HIV. Once they are exposed to foreign cultures, they tend to be more sexually active and put their guard down,” Ty said.

“Commercial sex is also more readily available abroad. In fact, prostitution is legalized in some countries that host our OFWs,” he said.

Unprotected sexual contact remains the predominant way by which HIV is being transferred, according to the World Health Organization.

HIV causes AIDS, or the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, which has no known cure. However, treatments can slow the advance of the disease.

Of the 166 OFWs found HIV-positive in the seven months to July, Ty said 85 percent (141) were males and 15 percent (25) were females. All were infected via unprotected sexual contact.

He said the cumulative 1,688 HIV-positive OFWs now comprise 23 percent of all cases in the National HIV and AIDS Registry. Of the 1,688, he said 76 percent (1,286) were males and 24 percent (402) were females. Their median age was 35 years. –Mina Diaz, Daily Tribune